“PAULSON, FALK TO CO-CHAIR YES ON PROPOSITION C PENSION REFORM CAMPAIGN – Top Labor Leader, Top Business Leader Tapped To Lead Consensus Coalition

SAN FRANCISCO, August 31, 2011 – San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform today selected Tim Paulson and Steve Falk to serve as co-chairs of the campaign supporting Proposition C and opposing Proposition D on the November ballot.

Paulson is executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, comprised of 150 local unions and representing 100,000 workers, and Falk is president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, a 1,500-member organization representing the business community.

“We are pleased that San Francisco’s top labor leader and top business leader are working together to lead this coalition’s campaign for pension and health reform,” said Thomas P. O’Connor, president of Fire Fighters Local 798. “Unions and the business community don’t agree on everything, but on Proposition C, San Francisco is united.”

Falk praised Proposition C, which was developed with input from the community, introduced by Mayor Ed Lee, and passed unanimously by the Board of Supervisors.

“Proposition C saves taxpayers at least $1.3 billion over the next decade,” said Falk. “This measure is fiscally responsible and it will help keep us solvent.”

Paulson emphasized the measure’s fairness.

“Proposition C provides a safety net for hardworking city employees who earn lower wages,” said Paulson. “It keeps pension contributions stable for those making less than $50,000 a year. Those who make more pay more.”

“Proposition C has widespread support because it was conceived in the light of day, with a public process that encouraged input and ideas from everyone,” said O’Connor. “On the other hand, the backers of Proposition D bought their way onto the ballot with signature gatherers who were paid five dollars a signature and repeatedly got caught on tape lying about what the measure would do.”

Today, San Franciscans United For Pension And Health Reform also announced the other members of its campaign committee. In addition to Paulson, Falk, and O’Connor, the committee includes other business and labor leaders, along with the measure’s sponsor at the Board of Supervisors:

Warren Hellman, Civic Leader Gary Delagnes, President of the San Francisco Police Officers Association Sean Elsbernd, Member of the Board of Supervisors Steve Fields, Co-Chair of the Human Services Network Larry Mazzola, Business Manager and Financial Secretary Treasurer of UA Local 38 Rebecca Rhine, Executive Director of the Municipal Executives Association Bob Muscat, Executive Director of IFTPE Local 21 Sean Connolly, President of the Municipal Attorneys Association

How do you get a strong-willed (and is there any other kind?) billionaire to change his or her mind?

No matter, San Francisco’s #1 banjo playerwants out of the pro-Proposition B campaign. Get all the deets, plus reaction from San Francisco Labor Council President Tim Paulson, below.

(This is seismic, baby.)

(This is unprecedented, baby.)

Click to expand. His head’s not really blue – it’s just the way the lighting was.

(Hello, MSM, are you there? It’s me, Margaret. Can we get a little follow-up, please? Show us what you can do with this one. Starting…now!)

Statement from F. Warren Hellman:

“I’m leaving the Yes on Proposition B campaign for the same reason I got involved in the campaign in the first place – we need a meaningful dialogue in San Francisco between business and labor to solve long-term problems threatening the city’s future without name-calling and fingerpointing.

“We must address the issue of spiraling public pension and health benefits costs. They’re like an iceberg floating beneath the surface that threatens to sink cities like ours. At the same time, I’m not willing scapegoat police officers, firefighters and other public workers to do it.

“We got into this situation together and we must work together to solve it in the interest of a city we all love.

“I was reminded of this spirit at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival this past weekend. We pulled off a massive free concert in Golden Gate Park without one major injury, disruption or arrest, which is a testament to the professionalism of San Francisco’s public workers and our City’s spirit of cooperation.

“I believe that organized labor appreciates that it is in San Francisco’s interest – and the interest of its members — to head off a looming pension and benefits crisis before it cripples public services and leaves police officers, firefighters and other public workers without retirement security.

“And I also believe that San Francisco business must understand its responsibility to pay its fair share to fund quality public services. And that begins with workers who are properly trained, fairly paid and able to retire with dignity.

“We have a history of working together in this city and settling issues without expensive and divisive political fights at the ballot box. I’m going to focus my attention and resources on restarting those discussions.”

Statement from Tim Paulson, San Francisco Labor Council

“On behalf of the Labor community, we are very pleased that Warren Hellman has withdrawn his support from the Yes on B campaign. Many of us in organized labor have worked closely with Mr. Hellman in recent years to rebuild San Francisco’s schools and fund public education and we were disappointed to be at odds on this measure.

“We share Mr. Hellman’s legitimate concerns about rising pension and health care costs and commit to work with him and other likeminded leaders in the business community to address them. We want to find sustainable and affordable ways to attract and retain the best public employees, compensate them fairly and allow them to retire with dignity. In short, we acknowledge and respect Mr. Hellman’s goals, even if Prop B is not the vehicle to achieve them.”

This was a fairly large event, this NO ON B rally. State Senators Leland Yee and Mark Leno, Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Board President David Chiu, and Supervisors Bevan Dufty, Carmen Chu, Eric Mar plus a couple hundred city workers were all on hand this afternoon in front of The Pavilion at the renewed Laguna Honda Hospital.

See?

Click to expand

Avuncular Leland Yee went on the attack against Prop B proponent Jeff Adachi:

“Jeff Adachi you have slighted this city.”

And:

“How dare you take this from the backs of our workers?”

O.K. then.

Today’s rally coincides with the website lauch:

“The No on Proposition B campaign today launched its website, www.nobadmedicine.com, a resource to learn the facts about Proposition B, a November 2 ballot measure that will double the cost of health care for over 20,000 people. The new site features a fact check of the “Yes” campaign’s claims and the stories of real people who would be directly impacted by the passage of Prop B.”

And second up – District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty will campaign against B this afternoon in the Castro.

A wolf showed up at the last No on B event, but there’s no word on the chances of another appearance:

All the deets:

SUPERVISOR BEVAN DUFTY, PROP B OPPONENTS TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST PROP B

Prop B: Bad Medicine

“San Francisco has been a leader in providing universal health care for all of its citizens, but Proposition B will take health care away from many hardworking families. Prop B will also cost the city millions of dollars in federal funding for health care. Prop B is a step backwards and is wrong for San Francisco.”